For Hope
by Reiji Neko Mitsukai
Summary: SAINW. Most believe that having another member in the Hamato Clan would have made things better. However, this is not always the case. Rated for safety.


Disclaimer: I only own Kijo and Hope.

Author's note: My first Ninja Turtle piece in a while. This originally was a short little blurb, but I saw the other SAINW fics out there, and I knew I had to make my own contribution, regardless of how insignificant it may be. It turned out longer than I thought it would.

Basic character insertion; I'm throwing Kijo into the mix. Most people think that having more in the Hamato clan would have made things better. Here, it makes it worse.

_For Hope_

His brother looked so strange, dressed in the dark coat with the dark glasses that were apparently meant to replace the blue mask. April had been right; Leo_was_ different, but the woman had been unwilling to explain. Apparently, whatever it was had hurt her as well. And it had struck deep in the eldest turtle; almost deeper than the death of their sensei.

So as they walked along the old sewers, the brainy turtle kept an eye on his eldest brother as he walked in front of him. Something hung around him- something that he couldn't quite place…

It was with a sinking feeling in his stomach- a common occurrence in this hellish future- he realized that the black-furred feline that he had seen so many times at his brother's side was absent. Rather, no one had even mentioned her name. It was like she merely hadn't existed.

He had to get to the bottom of this. She had been part of the family, after all. One of their own. He had every right to know!

"Leo?" he tentatively called to his brother. "Where's Kijo?"

The footsteps abruptly stopped, the turtle becoming still. Raphael visibly flinched. "Donnie, I don't think-"

"No," interrupted the eldest, his voice quiet. "It's okay. He should know."

The voice sounded so run down; so defeated… The sinking sensation in the pit of Donatello's stomach got worse. Hesitantly, he reached up to put a hand on his brother, but he paused. "Leo… what happened?"

There was a sigh before the tale was begun.

"After we all parted ways, Kijo decided to go with me and we wandered the sewers, trying to find a safe place to live. Eventually we found an old pumping station out on the coast, so we settled there. At the time, Shredder's forces hadn't spread very far. We were lucky. It was a while before we were found, but it didn't seem like very long before April managed to find us. But by then… It had already started."

Bewildered, and dreading the answer, Donatello asked, "What had started?"

Raphael pulled out a picture and handed it to his younger brother. Wordlessly, he took it and looked at it carefully.

It was old and a little tattered at the edges, but the image it held was still as clear as day. It showed Leonardo, standing proudly with an arm around a familiar feline. He still had his mask. Kijo herself was smiling- a rare sight for those that were familiar with her- and looking down lovingly at a bundle of blankets. And from that bundle peered the large, dark eyes of an infant with black fur and hair, feline ears, and a shell.

Donatello was stunned. He was more than stunned; he was astonished. Leo and Kijo had had a_baby_?

"April found them while Kijo was still in labor," came Mikey's voice nearby. "After she told us about it, we all came running. Even Raph came to see for himself. Because of our mutation, none of us were really sure if we could even have kids. Guess Leo was the only one to get the chance to find out."

"So, you and Kijo got married?" Donnie asked Leo, who still hadn't moved from his spot. His shoulders had sagged, however.

"More or less."

_The dark room was illuminated with several candles, the soft glow casting shadows on the stone walls. Sitting before the candles were two forms, both of which had a small bowl in front of them and a larger bowl between the smaller ones. On the other side of the candles, propped up against the wall, was an old walking stick. Simultaneously, the pair lifted their bowls towards the stick, bowing their heads to remember and honor its former owner._

"There really wasn't anyone to preside over it, so we had a little ceremony at home."

_Raising their heads again, they turned their attention to the larger bowl before them. The turtle was the first to empty the contents of his into it, signifying his role as head of the family. The feline followed suit and hers was added as well; the combining of their souls to become one. Lowering the smaller ones, the male was again the first to move, taking the bowl and sipping from it before handing it to the female- what was his was hers, and it was his duty to make sure she was provided for. She took it and sipped from it herself. Together they then put it back where it had been, bowing to the stick. _

"It wasn't much, but it was what we both wanted."

"Then the baby came," added Raphael. "We were lucky April found a working camera in time. We all got at least one picture. You should have seen her, Donnie; she was so _tiny_…"

"'She'? It's a girl? What's her name?" He still couldn't believe it. Master Splinter would have been so happy to find out he was a grandpa…

It wasn't until now that the turtle that used to wear blue moved, turning his head at least somewhat towards his brothers. A small smile had formed on his face. "Hope."

"Hope…" Looking back down at the picture, he turned it over. There was writing on the back.

_Hope Shen Hamato, 3 months_

"April couldn't have found us at a better time," said Leonardo, continuing his earlier tale, moving to lean against the nearest wall. "Kijo was in labor, and I didn't know what to do."

_Labored breathing echoed throughout the old pumping station, followed by an occasional pained groan. The sounds were coming from the bedroom, where the black feline was on the bed, her back supported with pillows while her husband kneeled beside her, fretting and worrying. She had been feeling contractions for so many hours he wasn't even sure if it was the same day anymore. All he could do was encourage her and assure her that it wouldn't last forever; the baby had to come out sooner or later… _

_Another contraction had passed and Kijo had relaxed against the pillows when a gasp came from the doorway. Startled and alarmed, Leo turned towards the sound, reaching for his katanas at the same time. The figure standing at the doorway wasn't who he expected. _

"… _Leo?!" _

"_April?!" _

_Several men came to follow her, stopping to stare at the sight in the room. The human woman hadn't noticed, however, and had instead run forward to her long-lost friends. She kneeled at Kijo's bedside and took her clawed hand. "How long has she been in labor?" _

"_I don't know… I don't even know what day it is!" _

"_Uh… O'Neil?"_

_Her attention snapping to the bewildered men outside, she pointed to them. "Guard the perimeter! We'll need space in here!" _

_None of them questioned the order. They just went. _

"I don't know what we would have done if April hadn't been there. She showed Kijo how to breathe during her contractions and told me what to do while the baby was being born."

_Finally it was time, and April was breathing with the laboring feline and telling her when to push. Leonardo sweat nervously as he waited at the foot of the bed, towel in hand. _

"_When you get the head, hold it up and keep it supported," April instructed him before returning her attention to the feline. "Now for the serious pushing. Take a few breaths first... okay... now push!" _

_With a groan of effort, Kijo did as she was told. Leonardo began to look a little more green than usual. "... Got the head..." _

"_Okay, now the hard part. Here come the shoulders; take a few breaths, then push hard, okay? Ready... PUSH!" _

_The following scream echoed, startling the men outside. _

_Finally Kijo collapsed against the pillows as the pressure was released, inhaling deeply to catch her breath. Wailing came from the foot of the bed. April grinned. "You did it!" _

_Another voice came from the foot of the bed, this one awed and amazed. "I... I got it!..." _

"You don't know what that's like... Watching your own flesh and blood being born into your hands..." He looked down at his own hands, almost as if he was envisioning he was holding the newborn again. "... I think I understand now... how Master Splinter felt when he called us his sons. The instant devotion, the overwhelming love… It's something you never forget... even after the years go by. I think of it every day."

Donatello let it sink in and organize in his mind. His eldest brother and Kijo had married and had a daughter, and Leonardo had seen every moment of her birth. Wow... "I wish I could have been there. I mean, to watch the birth of my niece... it would have been incredible... How old is she now?" Mikey had said over thirty years, so she had to be an adult now; somewhere in her twenties, depending on when she was born.

Leonardo's hands dropped and his head lowered even more. His voice came quieter. "It... It had started like any other day. Hope was so close to taking her first steps all by herself..."

"_Come on Hope... you can do it..." _

_Leonardo was kneeled a few feet away, his arms extended towards his daughter as he encouraged her. The child herself- wearing a plain, homemade dress made from any fabric that could be salvaged- was being held up by her mother, who was standing over her as she helped her along, wearing her own homemade dress styled after a kimono with slits down the sides. After a few practice steps Kijo stopped and let go, letting the child stand there, glancing up at her mother before returning her gaze to her father._

_He again gestured towards himself. "Come here, Hope... Come to daddy..." _

"... Then in the next instant... everything was in flames..."

_There was an impossibly loud sound, and with an intense blast of heat they were all thrown across the room, flames closely following. A shriek came from the youngest of the family, which was cut off moments later._

_It was several moments before Leonardo recovered from the surprise, leaping to his feet. Smoke was billowing from the bedrooms, filling the air and making it hard to see and breathe; pieces of burning wood and the remnants of any furniture they had were scattered throughout. He had to find Hope and Kijo... Had to find his family... _

_Keeping low to avoid the smoke he rushed forward, looking for anything even remotely resembling a feline or a hybrid. It wasn't long before he was rewarded, finding his wife sitting on the floor, clutching a still body... _

"... I found Kijo... She was holding Hope, trying to get her to wake up... But it was too late..."

He sunk to the floor.

"She was inconsolable... She begged for me to bring her back, but I couldn't... When she was thrown in the explosion, she landed on her neck..."

Donatello felt horrified. He now knew what the mysterious aura around his brother was- grief and despair, long settled to reside permanently in his soul. Hope hadn't even lived two years before she was murdered, the beautiful little girl's neck snapped. His eldest brother had gained so much, only to have it all violently taken away…

He looked back down at the picture in his hands. It seemed so much darker now, so much older and worn. He looked back up at his brother. "Leo, I... I'm so sorry..."

The defeated voice noticeably thickened. "Kijo just fell apart... Hope's death; it killed her... She didn't eat, didn't sleep... Everything I tried didn't help; I could do nothing as she withered away... Then one day I woke up, and she was gone... She let herself die, just so she didn't have to live without Hope..."

The true extent of Leonardo's grief began to show, and Donatello began to feel his own heart break. Thirty years ago, this was the same turtle that was their leader, who would have given his life for his family without a second thought. And he was the one forced to helplessly watch his own small family die, his daughter murdered and his wife from despair only a mother could feel.

He looked back down at the picture again. It no longer brought a smile to his face. Rather, it seemed evil- like it was taunting the only survivor of it's image, showing him what he could have had. Quickly, he gave it back to Raphael.

The one-eyed turtle took it back, tucking it back into the pocket he had kept it in. "Leo was never the same after that," he said quietly, gesturing towards his collapsed brother. "It was like... he lost his will t' live. He almost died. His whole world revolved around Kijo an' Hope, an' when they were gone..." He shrugged, signifying the finality.

There were several long moments of silence, tempered only when Leonardo's breathing hitched repeatedly. Michelangelo moved to crouch beside him, putting his remaining hand on his shoulder. However, he turned his gaze to his coherent brothers.

"She would've turned twenty-three last week."

That statement alone told Donatello so much. Leonardo hadn't been the only one to become instantly enamored with the turtle/feline hybrid- it seemed her two remaining uncles had fallen just as hard for the baby. And why wouldn't they- she was a ray of her namesake, living proof that they wouldn't have to be the last of their kind. Within moments they had been turned from hardened ninja warriors to doting uncles, reduced from wielding weapons to give a deathblow to making faces to earn a giggle.

He wished he could have seen it.

"I kinda blame myself; y'know?" came Raphael's voice, soft and quiet. "I could've been there that day; could've caught her before she landed, shielded her from the explosion- _anythin'_...If I hadn't been so mad at Leo for Master Splinter's death; if I had been a better brother..." He lowered his head, closing his eye and swallowing back the lump that was forming.

"Except there wasn't anything any of us could've done," rebutted Michelangelo softly. He turned towards his oldest brother. "And that includes you, Leo. None of us knew about the attack or what would happen to Hope. We need to stop with the 'could've's and start looking at what we need to do _now_. Donnie's got a plan, and it's probably the best shot we got at taking the Shredder out. For the next generation, so they won't have to live like we did. We have to do it for them."

"For Hope," came Leonardo's voice, lifting his head as his breathing evened. Silently he added Kijo's name, but everyone heard it regardless.

"For family," added Raphael, clenching his fist.

Donatello was the last to chime in, his voice sounding like the last note before a climatic crescendo.

"For the future."

_ At the battle... _

The bite of Karai's blade struck deep, slicing through Leonardo's back and making him cry out in pain. He knew it was fatal before he even hit the floor; already the sounds of the battle around him were beginning to fade, leaving the most important ones: Raphael screaming his name, Donatello gasping, April choking back a sob...

_Hope..._

He didn't really feel it when he hit the floor, his body already numbed by the damage that had been done. The only thing he could feel was a throb inside of him, one that was slowly becoming faint. Somehow, it didn't matter- nothing mattered now as he became too tired to move, to even breathe. The rest of the sounds faded to nothing, the throbbing slowing to a stop, his head feeling light and fuzzy.

_Come on Hope... Come to daddy..._

It surprised him a little when the fuzzy feeling began to change, morphing into something that- for the first moment- he didn't understand or recognize. It wasn't until the familiar scene cleared that he realized what had happened.

After over twenty years of darkness, he could _see_ again.

And the first thing he saw was the small form of a turtle/feline hybrid, blinking up at him with her big dark eyes. Her mother stood over her, ready should their daughter's balance fail.

Kijo, looking as beautiful and vibrant as the day they had married.

_Go to daddy, Hope..._

Keeping those big dark eyes on him, the toddler lifted one foot and put it in front of her, wobbling just a little bit before lifting the other and doing the same with it. For the first time in so many years, he felt a spike of happiness drive deep into his heart. Hope's first steps...!

_Just a little further,_ he heard himself encourage her. _Just a few more steps!_

Another step. Then another. Kijo stepped with her, keeping pace. Once she was just about in arm's reach, the feline moved to kneel beside her husband. Hope plodded along, her eyes intently focused on her father.

It was a rush of joy when he could finally take her up into his arms, lifting her up overhead as she giggled and squealed, her arms spreading as though she thought she was flying. He heard Kijo laugh beside him.

This was the image carried by the last impulse his synapses would ever fire.

_The End_


End file.
